I Tried Mushroom Coffee – And Had The Most Productive Afternoon Ever

2 months ago

Beat the brain fog with your morning cup of joe

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Haven’t you heard? Mushroom coffee is the next big thing in wellness. Intrigued by the various promises of a steaming cup – improved focus, immunity boosters and stress reduction, just to name a few – Charlie Colville sets out to put the London Nootropics range to the test.

Review: London Nootropics’s Adaptogenic Coffee

Mushrooms in coffee? It’s not as uncommon as you might think – and the two, in fact, are pretty good at bringing out the best in each other. Caffeine, while perfect for a quick energy boost, can also leave you feeling anxious and jittery. Adaptogens, meanwhile, can help balance our cortisol levels and sustain energy levels throughout the day, ensuring we get the benefits of coffee while tamping down any negative side effects.

And that’s exactly the thinking behind London Nootropics, an adaptogenic coffee label that specialises in balancing blends made with the highest-quality medicinal mushroom extracts (alongside a number of other adaptogens). The brand, which made a successful appearance on BBC One’s Dragons’ Den back in 2022, is a stalwart on the counters in Harrods and Selfridges, and is quickly becoming a mainstream hit amongst wellness fanatics.

And, more recently, London Nootropics levelled up its game by teaming up with Hifas Da Terra, whose premium practitioner-grade mushroom extracts rich in active compounds have given the brand’s adaptogenic coffees a real boost.

Now a leader in premium adaptogenic coffee, we felt it was the perfect time to try London Nootropics – and its three famous blends – for ourselves. Here’s how it went.

What We Thought

There’s been lots of talk about nootropics at the C&TH offices recently. And so, when presented with the chance to try out the wellness fad (in coffee form, no less), I jumped at the chance to try the London Nootropics range. A selection box of 12 sachets contains the brand’s three main adaptogenic blends:

Flow: For mental clarity and focus
Mojo: For endurance and vitality
Zen: For calm and balance

Finding myself regularly hunched over a laptop, I thought it best to start with Flow. A blend of lion’s mane and rhodiola – adaptogens both known for boosting energy – Flow is designed to help its drinker ‘discover motivation, mental clarity and focus.’ Sounds like just the thing I needed, with a long day in the office ahead of me.

The process of making a cup is pretty much identical to regular coffee; simply empty a sachet into a mug, add hot water (and hot milk, if you like) and you’re done. Steaming mug in hand, it’s then simply a matter of making yourself comfortable at your desk as you sip away on the good stuff.

While not too different in taste from regular coffee, you will notice an earthier, slightly more bitter taste. And contrary to what you might expect, this earth, umaminess is less mushroom-y and more nutty in flavour. In other words, it’s tasty. Different, but tasty.

I made sure to try Flow in the office, rather than at home, as this is where I’m most prone to distraction throughout the work day. And that’s not to day my attention span is short – it’s just made shorter by the prospect of catching up with colleagues. Caffeine typically makes this state of distraction all the worse. But not today.

This was a cup of coffee that didn’t come with the caveat of jittery energy (or a post-consumption crash). I found I could focus more quickly and efficiently, and made it through the entire work day without any major distractions, heavy procrastination or empty staring into my screen. Instead, I was able to power through my usual tasks, plus some long-term projects I had been putting off earlier in the week.

And when the dreaded 4pm lull set in, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself still feeling energetic. And, with no caffeine crash in sight, I was free to keep tapping away productively at my keyboard.

With Flow proving to do what it says on the tin (or sachet), I’m excited to try Mojo and Zen in the near future. Happy brewing.